The 24-hour nationwide strike on Tuesday forced another holiday on West Bengal. Except some stray incidents, the day went off largely peacefully. The Left Front which extended its support to the strike called by the Central trade unions, claimed that the shutdown was total in the state.
However, chief minister Mamata Banerjee who made all out efforts to ensure normal life was not disrupted, congratulated the people for making the bandh a flop show. Over 1,700 persons were arrested for strike-related incidents.
“There is no strike at all, everything is open. Buses, trains, taxis are running in large numbers and people have not faced any problem. The flights have also operated according to schedule. It was a normal working day at the ports, in the industrial belt, the mint. The presence of government employees at the Writers’ Buildings has been 100 per cent,” the chief minister announced after personally visiting several departments at the state secretariat.
Ridiculing her claim, Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra said, “The total power demand in the state today dropped by 575 MW compared to yesterday which itself shows the success of strike in the industries. It is true that more government buses were on the roads but without any passenger. Similarly, the employees were present in the government offices but no work was done. Students did not turn up in schools and colleges which were kept open.”